My ramblings

The last of us

Ah, the last of us. Such a wonderful game. And with the sequel coming out very soon, I wanted to write a bit about the first game.

To preface things, I played the last of us long a few years after it came out. On the ps4 slim actually. Mostly because it was a game that I weirdly enough hadn't heard about a lot. But then, one Christmas, me and my brother got a ps4 slim that came with three games. One forgettable, and two masterpieces, both of the masterpieces from Naughtydog. One of them was Uncharted 4, which was the game that made me want a ps4. And the other was the last of us.

So, one day, after having played all the uncharted games on the ps4 and with nothing better to do, I decided to give this game a chance. I had heard some positive things about it, and I though why not try it at least. I mean, it came with the console, so it's practically free. And so I began playing it, going in completely blind. And oh my. Never before or since, as a game made me so emotionally invested within one hour. And no other game has managed to catch me so off guard with an opening alone. Even if this is an old game, I will say this. If you haven't played it and aren't aware of the full story, play it. Because the rest here will be spoilers.

First things first. The opening. Wow, just wow. When I began playing the game I knew it was set in a zombie apocalypse. So I didn't expect it to hit me right in the feels so hard in just the opening. I don't know if killing of Joel's daughter so early and in such a brutal way is the most devilish or brilliant piece of story ever written. And from just that opening alone I knew that I was in for something special. And boy was I right.

The story of this game is by far one of the best in any game ever. But for now I want to focus on the gameplay aspects a bit. For you can have the greatest story ever told (not the bible) in a game, but without proper gameplay it might as well be useless. Luckily, this game has no lack of good gameplay. It took me a while to get used to the mechanics after coming from the more fast paced Uncharted games, but I managed to do it. Even if I nearly got stuck in a section because I had wasted bullets earlier in the game. That event made me really learn what I think is the most important aspect of the gameplay in this game. It isn't a shooter, it's a resource manager.

The last of us is in a post-apocalyptic world. Every resource is so scarce. Bullets? You're lucky if there are a handful on that shelf. Health kits? Maybe there is some rags just behind those clickers. You're never in a situation where you have more than enough. You only ever have, just enough or less. And this plays so well into the world around you. Resources are rare, life isn't supposed to be easy. So you better save up those bullets as a last resort. Unless you want to get killed.

And that brings me to the next great thing, the enemies. Because this game as some of the best designed zombies I know of. The clickers are just a stroke of genius and their sounds will forever haunt my dreams. Each type of zombie fits so well into the world and the story, while also posing different challenges to face. Runners are fast, but weak and can be taken by stealth like normal humans. Stalkers are Runners but strong, be careful. Clickers are slow and blind, but deadly in close combat unless you have a shiv. In addition to only being able to be killed through stealth with a shiv or bow and arrow. Be stealthy and quiet, only kill if you have to. Then there are the big boys, the bloaters. Luckily, there is a very simple strategy that works wonders. RUN.

Of course, zombies aren't the only threat. Humans aren't good either. Everything from bandits to cannibals. These enemies can be easier since they don't have the same strength as zombies. But at the same time, they can be worse. Not because of difficulty, but because these are normal humans. These are regular humans that most of the time had to do what they had to, so that they could survive. This is shown even more if you read the notes. The hunters of Pittsburgh, who was driven to the extreme just so that they could protect their own. And now, they are stuck killing anyone who comes close, as well as anyone who opposes this rule. All of this really ties the whole world together.

And now comes the best part. The cherry on top. The story. Because the story of this game is something special. And frankly, I don't feel like I can do it justice. Every piece of the journey just so masterfully drives the plot forwards and affect the characters so well. And boy, the main characters. Joel and Ellie. The whole dynamic between these two is so masterfully developed throughout the entire story. From Joel seeing Ellie as not much more than human cargo, to him not standing the thought of her dying at the end. Going so far as to lie to her, because he knows that Ellie would have sacrificed herself. And also on Ellie's end, slowly becoming stronger and more independent, as well as trusting Joel. Them two slowly opening up to each other and forming a father-daughter relationship, especially considering that Joel lost his daughter. It is simply beauty.

To be honest, the story of the first game is so perfect, that I'm afraid that the second game can't carry that legacy. Luckily, from what I have heard, that fear isn't something to worry about. Part 2 is, according to what I've heard, a very worthy sequel. And I for one, can't wait to play it. Actually, I might even have to play the first one again when I think about it. Anyways, The Last of Us is a master piece of a game.